Tag: antisemitism

Last week’s commentary “for non-Jews on Judaism” by Hyphen Parent caught my interest. I’m not Jewish. Never was. I was raised Episcopalian, embraced agnosticism for more than a decade and settled into the Baha’i Faith for the last half-century. Along the way I’ve always admired the rich cultural heritage of my many Jewish friends.

There’s a wide variety of beliefs and practices within Judaism. We don’t have horns. Antisemitism is constant, terrifying and exhausting.

Hanukkah began Sunday. And like all American Jews, I am a little nervous this year. Hanukkah ends on Dec. 26, creating an unusual confluence of holidays. And it comes during a time of growing antisemitism in the U.S. and the world. The number of antisemitic incidents in 2021 was the highest in nearly 50 years, and 2022 is going to be worse.

This essay will begin with a sad story — about a family in turmoil. Their story mirrors what is happening in the larger society — the struggle over politics, culture and how to engage each other on those topics. I tell this story with the permission of the person involved. It is not pretty.

Two Moscow churches and a campus ministry at the University of Idaho will sponsor a virtual panel discussion Wednesday, May 19, on the Christian roots of antisemitism and the ways in which all people of faith can respond to it.

The idea that Askenazi Jews are descended from the Khazars is widely held within anti-semitic circles, but it has been discredited by scholars.

Hoping to draw more attention to the global problem of anti-Semitism, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Monday (Dec. 29) released its list of the top ten worst anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents of 2014.